Sony/ATV Chairman and CEO Signs Contract Extension

Martin Bandier. Photo: @MartyBandier

Martin Bandier has signed a contract extension to remain as Chairman and CEO of Sony/ATV Music Publishing, where he has served the joint venture between Sony Corporation of America and the Estate of Michael Jackson since 2007.

Under Bandier’s leadership, Sony/ATV has become one of the world’s leading music publishers with a catalog of more than 3 million songs. These include songs by Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith and Pharrell Williams as well as works by legends including The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Carole King, Queen, Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder. In 2011/2012, Bandier played a key role in the acquisition of EMI Music Publishing by Sony Corporation of America, the Estate of Michael Jackson and an investment group headed by Mubadala Development Company, for whom Sony/ATV administers the EMI catalog.

“I am thrilled to continue my role at Sony/ATV Music Publishing and continuing to work with a talented group of colleague,” Bandier said. “Since my arrival, we have become the No. 1 music publisher and I am proud to say we represent many of the world’s best-loved songs alongside some of its greatest songwriters. I would like to thank Sony and John Branca and John McClain, the co-executors of the Estate of Michael Jackson, for their support and confidence in me, and I am looking forward to sharing many more successes with them over the next few years.”

“Marty Bandier is a legend in the music industry, and we are thrilled that he will continue his work at Sony/ATV,” said Michael Lynton, CEO of Sony Entertainment Inc. “Since he first joined in 2007, the company has reached amazing heights, and we expect that it will continue to flourish under his guidance.”

“Renewing Marty’s relationship with Sony/ATV avails the Estate of his enormous creative and executive talents as we strategically and profitably meet the challenges of our evolving business,” said Branca and McClain, co-executors of the Estate of Michael Jackson.

Bandier’s Sony/ATV appointment followed a 17-year stint running EMI Music Publishing, which he took over in 1989 after his company SBK was acquired by EMI and which he turned into what was then the world’s leading music publishing company.

While at Sony/ATV he has negotiated the acquisitions of both the Famous Music catalog, which includes scores for film such as The Godfather, Braveheart and Mission Impossible, and the Leiber & Stoller catalog whose hits include “Stand By Me,” “Hound Dog” and “Jailhouse Rock.” Finalized in 2007, the acquisition of the historic Leiber & Stoller catalog fulfilled a dream and business goal that Michael Jackson specifically iterated in the agreement for the formation of Sony/ATV in 1995.

During his time at Sony/ATV, Bandier has championed fair value for songwriters, working to ensure that writers are fairly compensated for their work by music streaming services.

Throughout his tenure the company and its songwriters have won numerous awards, including this last year when Sony/ATV was named Pop Publisher of the Year by both ASCAP and BMI in the U.S. In February 2015 he became the first ever music publisher to receive the Grammy Awards’ President’s Merit Award for his work in the music industry during a Grammy weekend when many of the company’s songwriters, including Sam Smith and Pharrell Williams, were also honored. He has been inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, while among his many industry roles he serves on the boards of the City of Hope, ASCAP, the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the National Music Publishers Association (NMPA).

Under his management, the company has enjoyed significant success on Broadway with Motown The Musical and the double Tony Awards winner Beautiful – The Carole King Musical, both of which have expanded into international tours.

Bandier is additionally a trustee of Syracuse University where in 2006 he founded a music and entertainment degree program called The Bandier Program for Music and Entertainment Industries. Last year, Billboard named it one of the top schools in the U.S. to learn about the music industry.